Growing up around Cleveland, Ohio, Kathleen was encouraged by both her mom and dad to learn about nature. She got to go with her father, the naturalist at Cleveland’s Rocky River Park, as he led weekly excursions through the woods. She and her sisters were of like mind: together they “poked around” (In her essay Winter Creek Kathleen says “Poking around is more capricious than studying, but more intense than strolling. It’s less systematic than watching, but more closely focused.”)

At the College of Wooster she had a wonderful philosophy professor. It was there that she decided to major in philosophy and become a professor of philosophy herself. And it was there she met Frank Moore.

Kathleen and Frank, both being in love with rapidly moving water, used the squiggly-blue-line method to choose their graduate school. They looked at various state maps, applied to schools in the three states that had the most rivers, and ended up at the University of Colorado. She finished with a PhD in philosophy, he with one in biology. When looking for gainful employment they emulated another class of persons associated with moving water: riverboat gamblers. Frank had been offered an adjunct appointment at Oregon State University, Kathleen had no offer of any kind, and they decided to go for it! “All in,” in poker parlance. Those blue lines on the Oregon map must’ve looked really inviting.

Once in Corvallis Kathleen offered to teach a couple of philosophy courses--they liked her. One thing led to another, she persevered, and now she is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy (her husband also made it to Distinguished Professor). Besides holding this honored position, Kathleen has several other honors. She is the University Writer Laureate; her book The Pine Island Paradox won the Oregon Book Award; and several of her other books have won awards as well.

Kathleen founded, and is currently Director of the Spring Creek Project for Ideas, Nature, and the Written Word, a fascinating endeavor. More can be learned by going to its website. Just google “Spring Creek Project.”*

Asked about hobbies, river trips immediately came up. The answer to “How many boats do you have?” took some cogitating. “There’s a blue kayak, a red kayak,...” eventually she stopped at nine, all with names, and apparently none with motors. Hiking, night walking, tide pooling, and writing are also on the list of things she does for fun.

Three of her books are especially relevant to her lecture. Riverwalking: Reflections on Moving Water; Holdfast: at Home in the Natural World; and The Pine Island Paradox. Kathleen has become intrigued by Rachel Carson’s legacy and is working on a book that deals with the significance of Carson’s work. An article she has written that will appear in the book forms the basis of her ENHS lecture. The title of her presentation “The Truth of the Barnacles: Rachel Carson and the Moral Significance of Wonder,” gives just a little insight into an effervescing creativity.

A talk by a Distinguished Professor of Philosophy who has a gambler’s streak, likes to be in small boats on fast water, who knows how to “poke around,” and who writes like a dream: what better way to spend an evening? Talk it up! Bring friends!
-John Carter

John Carter, in the spirit of membership involvement, offered to do this interview with Kathleen. We look forward to more pieces from him in future Nature Trails. Thanks John.

*I googled and learned about a special project called the Trillium Project that will be held again next year and some ENHS members might be very interested: “People with a wide variety of backgrounds and interests--artists, botanists, biologists, writers, musicians, philosophers, etc. came to the Cabin for an afternoon, a day and a night, or several days to study and write about the Shotpouch place itself, its history or philosophy or bird species or wildflowers or mosses or trout or soundscape or anything else on the land that excited their interest.
-Melody